Listing: 3-bedroom main residence, 4-bedroom guesthouse, equestrian ranch
Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Price: $175 million
The Jackson Land & Cattle property has a bit of a Cinderella quality to it. Once an old English discipline riding center, the property has been renovated and upgraded making it America's most expensive home for sale at $175 million, according to Forbes.com.
"Everyone keeps saying it. I really wasn't aware of that fact," said John Pierce, the property's real estate broker with Hall and Hall.
When Richard Fields, a prominent casino developer and the property's current owner, purchased the property in 2003 he brought the original architect, Jonathan Foote, out of retirement to "reconfigure it with a more western feel," Pierce said.
No one had lived on the property before, but Foot converted an old barn into a three-bedroom home and added a four-bedroom guesthouse. The 1,750 acre property also includes a 52-stall equestrian center and indoor and outdoor riding arenas.
Though it's the most expensive property Pierce has ever attempted to sell, he said it's not unusual for Jackson Hole properties to be listed so high.
"People come to Jackson Hole from California and experience sticker shock on the prices here," he said. "It's a very unique place and it's incredibly protected. The saying that 'They don't make it like this anymore' really holds true in Jackson Hole."
Pierce said the property, which was just recently listed, has garnered so much publicity that he's already had one showing and a number of inquiries.
"Word got out and we had to jump in front of the train," he said. "Our whole marketing brochure isn't even complete yet."
Ideally, he said, he doesn't want someone to come in and develop the property, but rather protect the ranch and one of the most scenic valleys in the area. More than 97 percent of Teton County is permanently protected from development in national parks, forest and public lands, and much of the private acreage is also protected in conservation programs through organization such as the Jackson Hole Land Trust.
"It will have to be somebody with a vision and passion for Jackson Hole and a sizable checkbook that can take advantage of tax benefits by working with the local land trust," he said.
Listing courtesy of Hall and Hall
